I learned this week that Dr. John Ishee
died last Saturday, May 26. This was
very sad, but not unexpected news. John
had been a part-time counselor at the Pastoral Counseling Centers of Tennessee
(PCCT) for a couple of years after he
retired as the Director of Pastoral Care at Cumberland Heights treatment
center. I had heard of John for years
before I first met him. I first met him
personally when I went through the family program at Cumberland Heights while
working for the Alcohol and Drug Council of Middle Tennessee. I had read two of John’s books and was
honored to finally meet him. John was a
kind and humble person. He had an
unassuming style, but was strong and courageous. I wish
I had known him better than I did, but what I knew made him a person to admire
for me. John had a passion for his work
and he gave of himself to help those that he encountered. In addition to the education and counseling
he did at Cumberland Heights, he also lead their worship services in the chapel
each Sunday morning. Before Cumber
Heights built their new “Chapel-torium”, the services in the old chapel had to
be broadcast on closed-circuit T.V. to other rooms at Cumberland Heights that
were used for overflow. John not only
talked about God’s grace, but he embodied it.
Even when talking about people or things that were difficult, John had a
way of being loving and kind.
John was a deep thinking, a thoughtful
and caring person who embodied grace and love in his interactions with
others. He was the kind of person that when I spent
time with him, I always came away feeling that I had so much room to grow. However, after spending time with John, I
never came away feeling bad about myself in any way because John embodied such
a caring and encouraging spirit. Each
encounter with him was truly a breath of fresh air in an otherwise cluttered
and stifling day.
When John was preparing to retire from
Cumberland Heights he approached me about working at PCCT. Though John had training and 24 years of
experience in Pastoral ministry and counseling, he was not a licensed
counselor. We agreed that he would come
to work for PCCT part-time and we would provide him with supervision. If he got the hours he needed for licensure
before he was ready to retire again, then he could apply for a license, but if
not, then he would be able to provide care for people legally. Somehow, I had the feeling that those who
were in supervision group with John would learn more from him than he would
learn from the group, but John never said that.
John always talked about what a blessing it was to work with us and to
be in the Supervision group. That just
seemed to reflect the genuine humility with which John lived his life.
John left PCCT on medical leave about a
year ago after being diagnosed with cancer.
I tried to keep up with him and called him from time to time. Each time I called he would tell me of his
latest treatments for cancer, but he also knew that he would probably not
survive his illness. I thought it was
just like him to be thinking about how to care for others after he was
gone. He said that he wanted to be sure
that gifts given in his honor would either go to the endowment fund at
Cumberland Heights or the Pastoral Counseling Centers of Tennessee. There many people that I can learn from in
this world, but there have been just a few that I would want to emulate. John Ishee was that kind of man for me. He was a blessing to so many and he will be
missed in this world. I pray God’s peace
and comfort for John’s wife, Myra, and the rest of his family.
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